The field of the invention is secure holding systems for standards.
Standards are aluminum poles used to hold nets (for volleyball, tennis, badminton, etc.) in position while those sports are being played. Often the same gymnasium is also used for basketball and other sports that do not require these nets. Therefore the standards must be stored and secured out of the way in order to prevent injuries and theft.
The invention is a standard secure holder system. The device comprises a rack which can be mounted on a wall off of the floor. The rack has a stationary top piece, and a bottom piece which has a stationary back section and a moveable front section which opens by means of hinges and can be held open at approximately a ninety degree angle by means of stops positioned along the hinges, in order to put the standards into the rack or remove the standards from the rack. Internally there are a series of partitions which form boxes to hold each standard in position. The rack can be locked by means of a hasp and padlock.
An advantage of the invention is that the standards cannot be physically removed while the rack is closed (even if unlocked) because of the tight tolerances of the boxes and the circular openings into which the standards fit, thus providing secure storage.
Another advantage is that all the standards can be seen while in the storage rack, thus allowing them to be counted for easy accountability.
Another advantage is that the standards can be stored off of the playing surface of the gymnasium when not in use (thus reducing the risk of injury) but can be readily accessible when needed.